High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women who have high functioning adhd are prone to frustration and miscommunication in their relationships. The symptoms can become more severe during times of hormonal change, like the pre-menstrual period and pregnancy.
Many women and girls resort to compensatory strategies to hide their impairments and symptoms can delay the time for referral.
This group of patients has specific issues that need to be taken into consideration when treating them.
1. Insecurities about self-esteem
The emotional and social challenges that come with ADHD can make women feel low. Even when they're doing well and have a good time, it's easy for them to feel like a failure for things they can't control. This can lead to an endless cycle of feeling overwhelmed and unsatisfied. This can have a negative impact on their mental well-being.
Girls who aren't treated for ADHD are more at risk of chronic low self-esteem and teen pregnancy, anxiety, depression, and abuse of substances. As adults, they are at greater risk of being parents on their own to a child suffering from ADHD and experiencing financial crisis or underemployment. They're also more likely to suffer with eating disorders, and their bad patterns can pass down to their children.
It's crucial for girls to receive a diagnosis, because it will give them a better understanding of their challenges and allow them to manage their symptoms more effectively. Many women report feeling empowered after receiving an diagnosis. They are no longer getting angry about things they cannot manage. It can also help them reframe their struggles and refocus on what's important (Waite 2010).
As women age and approach menopausal age, their hormone levels could change, and ADHD symptoms can become more severe. It isn't easy to diagnose and treat women with ADHD due to the fact that their symptoms can be mistakenly diagnosed and dismissed as "hormonal", "that time of the month" or "an anxiety disorder".
Untreated adult ADHD can have devastating impacts on women's self-esteem and her relationships with family and friends. The symptoms can affect daily routines, leaving her feeling exhausted and angry. She may feel she can't say no to people which causes her to burden herself and feel resentful towards people close to her. She may find it difficult to manage her home and work life which can lead to missed appointments and lost files. She can also be more easily triggered by rejection, so she may be more likely to be defensive and even lash out at the people she likes.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity is a condition that makes you feel extremely when you're rejected, whether real or perceived. You could be triggered by an argument with your partner or a negative comment from a colleague at work. Your brain's natural defense mechanisms become overwhelmed and the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that result can hurt your self-esteem and relationships. You can also experience anxiety, depression, and mood changes due to the sensitivity to rejection.
While it's often associated with ADHD, rejection sensitiveness is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation that affects how your brain manages emotions and how you react to them. The symptoms can also be observed in other mental health conditions such as borderline personality disorder (BPD).
RSD patients might perceive events through a filter, making them appear darker or brighter than they actually are. This can lead them to interpret things as being related to rejection, even if they aren't. RSD can also cause you to have a harder managing your emotions, which is why it's important to develop healthy strategies for coping to handle this.
Check out the following articles to learn more about the sensitivity to rejection.
Although there is no cure for RSD it is possible to manage symptoms with the assistance of a mental healthcare professional. You can utilize coping techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy to change your negative thinking patterns. You can also develop mindfulness and create a network of support to reduce the chance of having negative reactions to rejection. This will aid you in overcoming your RSD to live a more fulfilled and happy life. Avoid relationships that are toxic, as they can exacerbate your symptoms. If you're in a abusive relationship, seek out counseling to learn how to get out. This will help lower the risk of experiencing rejection-related feelings, such as anxiety and depression. By focusing on healthy relationships that you are in, you will increase your self-esteem. This will help you feel more confident in your abilities and give you a more realistic perspective on the world around you.
3. adhd in women checklist can make it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. This can lead to sexual dysfunctions and risky behavior. Women with high functioning adhd might be more at risk of having sexual issues. These behaviors can also result in feelings of shame and guilt which can have a negative impact on their relationships and overall well-being.
In one study, people with ADHD were found to be more likely than those without ADHD to be sexually adventurous. fascination. This was true for both males and females. This could be due to the increased levels of impulsivity which can cause them to be more likely act on their sexual ideas and desires. Particularly, the study revealed that females with adhd were more likely to indulge in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviours. This included submissive roles, bondage and sexing with strangers. It was also more common for them to attend sexual clubs and parties.
Both females and males suffering from adhd had a higher risk of infidelity than those who did not have the disorder. This was due to poor impulse control, alcohol disinhibition and sensation-seeking. This could also be due to their higher levels of insecurity and feeling misunderstood by partners. The survey asked participants to describe their experiences with extra-partner relationships and sexual relations that were not contraceptive. Table 6 summarizes the results of this section.
The study also used the Hypersexuality Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) to inquire of participants about their problematic sexual behavior. The questionnaire comprises 19 items that are grouped into three subscales. Each item is scored using five-point scale, starting from 1 (never to 5) (very often)). The higher the score the more symptomatology there is. The HBI-19 was developed in order to compare sexual behaviors between people who suffer from ADHD and those who do not.
These results are important, since the psychosexual outcomes of adults with ADHD have not been studied extensively. They have been associated with sexual dysfunctions, like STI's, unwanted pregnancies, relationship dissatisfaction, infidelity that begins at the onset of adulthood and adolescence and risky sexual behaviors.
4. Relationships
Many people with high functioning ADHD have issues in their relationships with loved ones. Lack of clarity in communication and misunderstandings triggered by symptoms such as forgetfulness and inattention could cause anger, frustration and conflict within the relationship. A strong group of family and friends members who can understand is helpful for maintaining healthy relationships.
It is important to remember that those who suffer from ADHD have a difficult time listening. They are easily distracted by their thoughts or their impulsive behavior that can cause them to lose focus on the primary reason for a discussion. People with ADHD are more likely to have difficulty in multitasking and can cause them to lose track of conversations or do other activities while someone else is talking.
These conflicts can lead to a cycle where the non-ADHD person becomes overwhelmed with anger and stress and the ADHD partner feels misunderstood and defensive. They then tend to become more introverted and the issue can escalate from there.
Women who have high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of their daily life. They may experience feelings of shame and low self-esteem because of their impulsive and disorganized behavior, or feel like they can't keep up with their bills and chores. They may also experience mood swings and sensitivity to rejection as well as low sexual drive.
For these reasons, it is crucial for people who suffer from ADHD to establish a treatment plan and seek out help. It is important that the people closest to them, including spouses, learn more about ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can work together to set the right expectations and boundaries, then come up with a plan of how they will achieve their goals. The non-ADHD partner could assume more financial responsibility while the person with ADHD is focused on organizing and completing chores at home.
Both partners should work to improve communication and establish a routine that includes regular eating patterns, sleeping times, and time to relax and rest. It's also important to find ways to make things easier for both of you for example, sharing household chores or outsourcing some of the tasks that are challenging for a person with ADHD for example, hiring cleaning services or utilizing apps to manage costs.